Why We Can't Have Nice Things
by I'll get to it.eventually
Summary: Sequel to COLG and CAT. Jokul and Koz can't have nice things, because something like this ALWAYS happens. Well, at least that means that it's time for another adventure!
1. Chapter 1

Babau Menaizen was not supposed to exist.

He was aware of very little, but he was definitely aware of that one fact.

When he woke up in a dark place somewhere in Italy, he knew that one fact, and when he left, he still knew it.

But since he _did_ exist, there had to be a reason for it. He knew that much, too.

He was considered a Mediterranean version of the Bogeyman, but he'd come into life on his own because the Bogeyman wasn't doing his job.

People weren't scared.

So Babau Menaizen needed to scare them, and then he needed to scare the Bogeyman into doing what he was supposed to, so that Babau didn't have to exist anymore.

And he knew _just_ how to scare the Bogeyman.

"_Hey! Hey, Kozzy, let's go have a snowball fight!"_

"_Not on your life, Jokul. I know how you cheat!"_

* * *

**So there is my tiny!prologue for the sequel to COLG. This story is dedicated to elysenjazz, who babysat me through its creation process. Fear not, there will be longer chapters soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

Kozmotis was a Guardian.

Granted, he was somewhat reluctant about the whole thing, but Jokul insisted and now he was a Guardian. The Guardian of Courage.

That meant...well, it meant that he had to spread Fear, so that people could stand up against it and gain courage, as well as make people Fear the things that could really hurt them.

Jokul had told him what had happened to the Elementals when they'd met Fear, though. And he knew that children could be turned into Fearlings. It made doing his job very difficult, since he didn't want to actually hurt anyone if he could help it. Well, no one who wasn't an enemy.

The main point was that he needed to spread Fear, and he could feel his powers and the Fearlings still under his control growing more restless with each passing day.

He just...didn't _want_ to spread Fear.

Oh, this was ridiculous! A _General_ of the_ Golden Army_, afraid of getting possessed as soon as he did his job! Sure, he was afraid of killing people, or turning them into Fearlings, and the knowledge that he could potentially turn _Jokul_ into a Fearling without even _meaning_ to was quite frankly terrifying, but the root of the matter was that he was afraid of using his powers again, lest he turn back into Pitch Black. That would be...terrible. He'd just gotten his children back, he didn't want to leave them again!

In his heart of hearts, there was also the part of him that was purely selfish in its desire to avoid becoming Pitch again, that just demanded freedom after that long time of being suppressed. He refused to believe that Kozmotis Pitchner and Pitch Black were the same person-it would _break_ him to believe that-and he was desperate not to disappear again.

But how was he supposed to be the Guardian of Courage if he was too afraid to do his job?

He continued brooding on that same point for some time, sitting on the edge of a cliff at sunset next to the sea-Mediterranean, he thought, but he wasn't sure-when there was a sound behind him.

Someone was approaching him from behind. He didn't feel an immediate sensation of Fear from them, but there was plenty of lack of Fear that meant...well, it either meant that they were insanely brave or that they had given up on pretty much everything.

Well, that or they were Jokul or someone else who had carefully eliminated all Fear from their hearts.

There was a hitched sob from whoever was still behind him, but it was closer than the footfalls he'd heard only seconds ago. The person was coming closer. He began feeling the tiniest flickerings of suppressed Fear from the person. He turned around.

There was a girl there, twelve years old if he were to guess, with short brown hair and a light, pink checkered dress on. She rubbed the tears off of her cheeks even as they continued to pour down. She was advancing singlemindedly towards the cliff.

Kozmotis began thinking that he might know what she was there for.

She walked to a spot just next to him and gazed down the cliff to the ocean far below. Then she took a deep breath, drew herself up as if to jump...

He didn't even think about it. Kozmotis flooded the girl with Fear, desperately trying to keep her _away_ from the dizzying drop below them. _No, don't, please don't! _He thought desperately at her, silently begging her to stop this. His hands went straight through her shoulders, but he tried all the same, desperately pushing her away from suicide.

She gasped, stumbling backwards, and looked around herself as if waking up from a long sleep.

"I...I can't do this," she sobbed. "I _can't_. I'm such a coward!"

"Good," Kozmotis soothed. "There, there, it's fine, just please don't do this! Call someone or something, I don't know, just don't do _that_!"

He did his best to instill a need for contact in her despite that not exactly being a Fear, unsure if he was doing the right thing or not. He didn't know if she even had a phone, or anyone to call, or anything!

She hiccuped and reached into a pocket in her dress that he'd previously missed. He hoped fervently as she dialed, but then she simply stopped before hitting _call_.

"Come on, come on, you can do this...come _on_, just fight the Fear, just hit that one button, come on!" Kozmotis murmured, barely even conscious of his words as they fled past his lips. He was leaning forward, all of his attention on this young mortal he knew nothing about. Suddenly the whole world depended on her hitting that button, and he wasn't sure what he would do if she didn't.

Her fingers trembled. Her whole _body_ trembled.

She clicked_ end call_.

"No!" Kozmotis hissed, doubling over as if she had struck him. "Why? Why can't you just speak to someone, get help if you can't carry on alone, _please!_"

But he straightened up once again, his attention caught as she confidently dialed a different number and clicked _call_.

"H-Hi, can you come and g-get me, please? I-I'm...can you please just come?" Her voice was trembling but determined, and she clutched the phone like a lifeline.

"_Yes!"_ Kozmotis hissed in victory. "Yes!"

He waited with her as she babbled to the person on the other end, and watched as a car came up the dusty road to pick her up. Its driver got out, and she ran to embrace him.

Kozmotis watched as the newcomer made soothing sounds and guided her back into the car, before driving away with her.

He smiled.

_It's time to start spreading some Fear_, he decided gently.

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**Did I say longer chapters? Well, I lied. We needed some perspective on where Koz's mind is right now before we get started.**

**Also, that girl is young for suicide, but I have a whole completely unexplored backstory for her, so rest assured there are reasons. She's just not important enough for me to explore them very deeply here.**

**Ig out!**


End file.
